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strawberrytheauthor's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book starts off with a drunken marriage in vegas. That alone was enough to pull me in, especially because it was with two women.
I enjoyed the book and I’m very happy that Grace (the main character) was able to work through her problems with a therapist. However, by the end of the book she still hadn’t told her father about her wife. Wack!
I enjoyed the book and I’m very happy that Grace (the main character) was able to work through her problems with a therapist. However, by the end of the book she still hadn’t told her father about her wife. Wack!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Mental illness, Self harm, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Cursing, Terminal illness, Drug use, and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment and War
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Child abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, War, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Drug use, and Vomit
arieloley's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Took a while for me to get invested, but once I hit mid-way(ish), I finished it super quickly. The author had a very delicate and real way of describing family relationships and parental trauma and what a complex concept family can be. It was really beautiful and diverse.
The radio sessions felt a little cheesy and the stories felt a bit repetitive, but they definitely drove a point home. The love story was very tender and the characters maintained themselves as real people, versus falling into the trope of “perfect partner that does everything for the main character”. I love the way multiple forms of relationships and love were explored.
The radio sessions felt a little cheesy and the stories felt a bit repetitive, but they definitely drove a point home. The love story was very tender and the characters maintained themselves as real people, versus falling into the trope of “perfect partner that does everything for the main character”. I love the way multiple forms of relationships and love were explored.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, War, and Self harm
Minor: Abandonment and Panic attacks/disorders
clemrain's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This review is a therapeutic rant. Not worth the read. But was worth the write after struggling through the pages of Honey Girl.
The cover art is gorgeous and that alone can give the book one star, but the rating goes down a star because this gorgeous cover lead me to a terrible novel.
I really wasn’t expecting to give this a 0 star rating. I have a point system that I calculate my star ratings on, and then change the number based on gut feeling. Not super mathematical, but my points added to 0 and so did my gut.
I want to say I’m disappointed because this novel wasn’t what I wanted it to be. But I didn’t have any expectations going in. So, it truly just wasn’t a book for me.
There are too many characters. None of them are fleshed out. I don’t think the author thought about the characters past what type of POC, LGBTQ+ or mental illness rep they were going to be. Most characters feel redundant, and between all of them there is no plot. A character based novel is good too, but this book wasn’t that either. It ran on a singular theme (loneliness) and read like a first draft.
The main character, Grace Porter, is truly so annoying. The entire time she complains about being a WOC and that’s the only reason she’s supposedly not succeeding. While simultaneously, having a picture perfect beginning to a romance, parents that support her financially, and friends that love her so much. She’s also explicitly stated as attractive. She’s on the cover and she’s gorgeous. A good solid foundation in succeeding. It almost comes across like internalized racism that she can only name her being half black as the reason to why she didn’t get a job offer.
Maybe the point flew over my head.
As a WOC myself, I understand very well how looking a certain way can cost opportunities. But majority of those losses come in bigger systematic issues which Grace doesn’t face in this novel—let’s say, in a greater extent. There are micro aggressions detailed in the novel and they did a good job illustrating what it is like being a WOC in STEM. However, it’s hard to relate to a supposed systemically oppressed main character that can easily afford trips to New York and Orange groves when they want to runaway from their very small problems like not succeeding in the very first job interview they went to.
She gets called out on her BS by her brother but the brother retracts the statement, says sorry a million times and Grace doesn’t learn anything from it. Where’s the character development?
Grace says she doesn’t even care for astronomy and it was a decision made to have individualism from her overbearing father but in the end she resolves to stay in the field. How does that make sense? I felt that her taking over the tea shop and jumping into a passion for herself while having her waitress wife run it with her would have been a great resolution to not only the big question of career, but also her brother’s only presented hardship plus the romance. The ending we got instead was “guess I’ll teach, so I can be with this hot stranger and leave behind my friends and family who have supported me my entire life for a woman who’s only ever gotten aggressive with me when I asked her why she hunts monster for fun.” Like girl where are your priorities?
I’d talk about the other characters, but honestly they’re all annoying too and I can’t actually distinct them from one another.
The writing style is so millennial. There’s no other way to describe it. Even that though, isn’t a death sentence to its writing. What really kills it for me is the the utter loss of literary technique. There’s repetition, but it isn’t used effectively enough to evoke emotion. There are metaphors, but truly too many and they lose their significance and don’t cause a pang. Etc. every literary devices I picked up on just wasn’t effectively used. The dialogue is unnatural. Does this author have siblings? Because siblings do not converse like that. In short, the writing style wasn’t for me.
The pacing was slow. Unbearably slow. The plot jumped in directions that made no sense. One scene didn’t naturally bridge to the next. Truly, I thought I was missing pages at points. The entire time I was reading this I wanted the book to be over. I don’t DNF books, which is the only reason I finished it. But I was close to making this my first DNF.
The themes of loneliness are some of my favourites to read. However, this book was so corny. The radio show starting by asking if someone is out there. A bit on the nose. Comparing loneliness to shunned creatures is a beautiful concept. But it’s terribly executed in the book and hardly a new concept. Frankenstein is bicentennial.
I’ve seen this book described as a coming of age. I think the reason I’m so harsh with this book is because it’s about a 29 year old. Girl you’re not having a coming of age. You have a whole ass PhD.
Loneliness in your 20s is a concept not much written about. Or at least not much I’ve read on in nonfiction. I wish the author had focused on the age group she was writing and wrote her story true to that. This read like YA about 12 year olds.
Ending had literally nothing to do with the novel and didn’t conclude the story at all.
I really want to add a positive in here. I really really do. But the pretty cover compliment is all I have.
I hope the author writes their next novel with good research, a plot chart, and many revisions. Maybe even get a new editor.
The cover art is gorgeous and that alone can give the book one star, but the rating goes down a star because this gorgeous cover lead me to a terrible novel.
I really wasn’t expecting to give this a 0 star rating. I have a point system that I calculate my star ratings on, and then change the number based on gut feeling. Not super mathematical, but my points added to 0 and so did my gut.
I want to say I’m disappointed because this novel wasn’t what I wanted it to be. But I didn’t have any expectations going in. So, it truly just wasn’t a book for me.
There are too many characters. None of them are fleshed out. I don’t think the author thought about the characters past what type of POC, LGBTQ+ or mental illness rep they were going to be. Most characters feel redundant, and between all of them there is no plot. A character based novel is good too, but this book wasn’t that either. It ran on a singular theme (loneliness) and read like a first draft.
The main character, Grace Porter, is truly so annoying. The entire time she complains about being a WOC and that’s the only reason she’s supposedly not succeeding. While simultaneously, having a picture perfect beginning to a romance, parents that support her financially, and friends that love her so much. She’s also explicitly stated as attractive. She’s on the cover and she’s gorgeous. A good solid foundation in succeeding. It almost comes across like internalized racism that she can only name her being half black as the reason to why she didn’t get a job offer.
Maybe the point flew over my head.
As a WOC myself, I understand very well how looking a certain way can cost opportunities. But majority of those losses come in bigger systematic issues which Grace doesn’t face in this novel—let’s say, in a greater extent. There are micro aggressions detailed in the novel and they did a good job illustrating what it is like being a WOC in STEM. However, it’s hard to relate to a supposed systemically oppressed main character that can easily afford trips to New York and Orange groves when they want to runaway from their very small problems like not succeeding in the very first job interview they went to.
She gets called out on her BS by her brother but the brother retracts the statement, says sorry a million times and Grace doesn’t learn anything from it. Where’s the character development?
I’d talk about the other characters, but honestly they’re all annoying too and I can’t actually distinct them from one another.
The writing style is so millennial. There’s no other way to describe it. Even that though, isn’t a death sentence to its writing. What really kills it for me is the the utter loss of literary technique. There’s repetition, but it isn’t used effectively enough to evoke emotion. There are metaphors, but truly too many and they lose their significance and don’t cause a pang. Etc. every literary devices I picked up on just wasn’t effectively used. The dialogue is unnatural. Does this author have siblings? Because siblings do not converse like that. In short, the writing style wasn’t for me.
The pacing was slow. Unbearably slow. The plot jumped in directions that made no sense. One scene didn’t naturally bridge to the next. Truly, I thought I was missing pages at points. The entire time I was reading this I wanted the book to be over. I don’t DNF books, which is the only reason I finished it. But I was close to making this my first DNF.
The themes of loneliness are some of my favourites to read. However, this book was so corny. The radio show starting by asking if someone is out there. A bit on the nose. Comparing loneliness to shunned creatures is a beautiful concept. But it’s terribly executed in the book and hardly a new concept. Frankenstein is bicentennial.
I’ve seen this book described as a coming of age. I think the reason I’m so harsh with this book is because it’s about a 29 year old. Girl you’re not having a coming of age. You have a whole ass PhD.
Loneliness in your 20s is a concept not much written about. Or at least not much I’ve read on in nonfiction. I wish the author had focused on the age group she was writing and wrote her story true to that. This read like YA about 12 year olds.
Ending had literally nothing to do with the novel and didn’t conclude the story at all.
I really want to add a positive in here. I really really do. But the pretty cover compliment is all I have.
I hope the author writes their next novel with good research, a plot chart, and many revisions. Maybe even get a new editor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: War, Lesbophobia, and Grief
matheo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism, Grief, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Drug use, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, and War
flyingryndeer's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Medical trauma and Racism
Minor: Emotional abuse, War, and Homophobia
lottsofplots's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Mental illness
Moderate: War and Racism
seawarrior's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In the acknowledgments of this book, Morgan Rogers describes her work as a "triumph" and I have to say I agree. Honey Girl explores multiple hurdles causing its title character to stumble off the path she had meticulously followed her entire adult life, until she starts to question whether she should even step back onto it at all.
Our protagonist, Grace, is introduced to us newly graduated from a PhD program in astronomy, and just married to a hazy siren of a woman she hardly knows and remembers more like a dream than a real girl. Days prior she had stormed out of the high-level position she was groomed for her by her academic mentor after enduring a tirade of racist microaggressions and accusations from her interviewers. Her future in her field, her family, and in her haphazard marriage weigh on her and soon inspire overwhelming levels of anxiety she has to unravel with help from others. While Grace may feel lonely and like a disappointment to herself and her parents and mentors, she is surrounded by love. She's practically glowing with it, as love flows towards her like sunlight from those devoted to her. They lift her up through their words, their acts of physical reassurance, and their belief that she is brimming with potential as certain as the universe is vast. Each passage of the love expressed between Grace, Yuki, and their friends on either side of the continental United States was uplifting to say the least, and definitely my favorite part of the reading experience. It's easy to imagine how Grace has survived the rigorous studies and racist microaggressions of her astronomy program with these people to support her and remind her of her worth.
The majority of the book winds through Grace's reluctance to accept that she's allowed to want things that aren't practical, that aren't grinding, that aren't her adamant idea of "the best". Witnessing her work through her emotions and grow into a person who is kinder to themselves and no longer aiming to be perfect is rough but rewarding to read. Many will likely relate to Grace's frustrations in forming the future she dreamed of and strived towards, but this book is especially written to validate and encourage Black LGBTQ+ women who find themselves expected to be stronger than everyone else, yet still dismissed when they've met these racist demands. Grace eventually learns that her "best" future is one she wants to enjoy living, and that ending her guilt over seeking it will be an arduous but possible process. Each character in this book was created with thought and love that shines through on the page, even when their imperfections are being highlighted. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciations stories with characters who seem three-dimensional enough to be real people. My only regret in reading this is that it ended, I will sorely miss spending time in Grace's universe.
Our protagonist, Grace, is introduced to us newly graduated from a PhD program in astronomy, and just married to a hazy siren of a woman she hardly knows and remembers more like a dream than a real girl. Days prior she had stormed out of the high-level position she was groomed for her by her academic mentor after enduring a tirade of racist microaggressions and accusations from her interviewers. Her future in her field, her family, and in her haphazard marriage weigh on her and soon inspire overwhelming levels of anxiety she has to unravel with help from others. While Grace may feel lonely and like a disappointment to herself and her parents and mentors, she is surrounded by love. She's practically glowing with it, as love flows towards her like sunlight from those devoted to her. They lift her up through their words, their acts of physical reassurance, and their belief that she is brimming with potential as certain as the universe is vast. Each passage of the love expressed between Grace, Yuki, and their friends on either side of the continental United States was uplifting to say the least, and definitely my favorite part of the reading experience. It's easy to imagine how Grace has survived the rigorous studies and racist microaggressions of her astronomy program with these people to support her and remind her of her worth.
The majority of the book winds through Grace's reluctance to accept that she's allowed to want things that aren't practical, that aren't grinding, that aren't her adamant idea of "the best". Witnessing her work through her emotions and grow into a person who is kinder to themselves and no longer aiming to be perfect is rough but rewarding to read. Many will likely relate to Grace's frustrations in forming the future she dreamed of and strived towards, but this book is especially written to validate and encourage Black LGBTQ+ women who find themselves expected to be stronger than everyone else, yet still dismissed when they've met these racist demands. Grace eventually learns that her "best" future is one she wants to enjoy living, and that ending her guilt over seeking it will be an arduous but possible process. Each character in this book was created with thought and love that shines through on the page, even when their imperfections are being highlighted. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciations stories with characters who seem three-dimensional enough to be real people. My only regret in reading this is that it ended, I will sorely miss spending time in Grace's universe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and War
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